


Winded

by minigyu



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Crack, Fluff, Holding Hands, Ice Skating, M/M, Post-Time Skip, emotionally suppressed iwa, oikawa has a tiktok, still haven't figured out tagging can you tell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:40:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28245570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minigyu/pseuds/minigyu
Summary: Iwaizumi takes Oikawa on an impromptu ice skating date in Irvine. Oikawa will live, but his pride sure won’t.This fic is brought to you courtesy of my love of skating and bubble tea, and also the wonders of Irvine, CA.
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Comments: 8
Kudos: 34





	Winded

**Author's Note:**

> for izzy 🤍

Iwaizumi is just getting out of his last final of the term on a glorious Friday afternoon in December. The Southern California sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and Iwaizumi is pretty sure he's made the grades for the best quarter of his studies yet. 

“Iwa-chan~~!!” The piercing wail of a twenty-something gay man and the echoes of a thousand fangirls' breaking hearts sound throughout campus, interrupting Iwaizumi's peace and quiet and internal celebration. Iwaizumi can’t decide whether to cringe or to beat Oikawa’s ass first. Of course it was too soon to say "best" anything with Oikawa around.

Agreeing to let Oikawa visit him at school was a terrible idea. He should have just stayed in Japan, and left Oikawa to fend for himself in Argentina, staying in separate hemispheres. 

Iwaizumi supposes this is fate laughing in his face now. It might also just be Oikawa. 

Exasperatedly pinching the bridge of his nose before opening his eyes, Iwaizumi finds Oikawa cheerfully making his way to where he knew Iwaizumi would be after class. He saunters over, sipping his off-season weekly cheat meal; this week’s was yet another boba milk tea, a calorie bomb Oikawa had apparently grown fond of while visiting in California. 

Iwaizumi rolls his eyes and tries unsuccessfully to hide a soft smile, the kind that make his eyes crinkle just a bit at the corners. 

Oikawa and his affinity for milk products, he thinks fondly. Some things just never change. He briefly wonders if Kageyama might like boba too, before remembering his former kouhai was even more of a volleyball idiot than his former captain. He (Kageyama) probably microwaved his vegetables to steam them because someone told him they retained more nutrients that way.

Iwaizumi shakes himself out of his wandering train of thought. The setting sun burns up the sky in pink and orange behind Oikawa, and Iwaizumi can't seem to catch his breath taking it all in. He should probably fix that if he's to achieve his goal of becoming a physical therapist for Team Japan. His own trainer might recommend fewer breathtaking views. 

“Hey Trashykawa. Thanks for announcing to the entire Milky Way that you were coming to escort me from campus to hell.” 

Oikawa squawks indignantly. “Iwa-chan, I'm hurt!"

Of course, for all his complaining, Oikawa in reality is not at all insulted. He is resiliently annoying and chatty, evidenced by his continued yammering as he and Iwaizumi make their way in step in the direction of Iwaizumi’s apartment to wind down from the grueling week together.

Talented as he is, not only is Oikawa continuing to pester Iwaizumi, but he’s also somehow doing it while burning his eyes with the brainrot that is TikTok. Iwaizumi does not approve. He has not, does not, and refuses to see the appeal. 

Waiting for the light to change at a crosswalk, Oikawa looks up from his phone to meet Iwaizumi’s alarmingly tender gaze (he’s also gotta fix that before he starts working with the Japanese national team. Somehow he assumes making eyes at his team’s opponents would be bad form.) “We should go ice skating,” Oikawa announces cheerfully. 

Iwaizumi does a mental spit take, blinking blankly once, twice, before opening his mouth. “So you can knock your empty head on a hard surface and make me answer to the Argentine Volleyball Federation?”

“No, silly, so you can do backflips on ice like this guy!” Oikawa chirps as he happily shoves a video of a very confident skater backflipping across different frozen lakes in ice skates in Iwaizumi’s face. 

Iwaizumi can’t say he’s not impressed, though. And just because he would never say it to Oikawa’s face doesn’t mean all his ideas off the court are shitty. Once Oikawa is consumed by the algorithm again, Iwaizumi searches "ice skating in irvine" and makes a mental note to privately look up the TikToker later. 

***

Iwaizumi doesn’t know what Oikawa was thinking. Iwaizumi doesn’t know what he himself was thinking. Forget back flips guy- Elladje Baldé, apparently- he’s literally a retired competitive skater. But just plain ice skating? This is torture. It’s even worse than Mizoguchi’s Bosu ball exercises. Iwaizumi is really going to feel this tomorrow. 

Despite it being his suggestion they go skating, Oikawa doesn’t seem to be faring much better on the ice. He’s so engrossed in trying not to fall on his ass that Iwaizumi would be remiss to not thank the universe for this brief reprieve from his brainlessly irksome chatter. But Iwaizumi should probably check on him as he struggles to make any distance, adamantly refusing to hold onto the wall. 

“Oikawa, are you going to be okay?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be? I’m a graceful pro! You know I went ice skating a lot with my sister in Japan! We saw Hanyu Yuzuru once with his sister in Sendai too-“

“Nice try. This was all when you were like, five. You should really be wearing a helmet or wristguards or something.”

Oikawa blinks blithely. “Iwa-chan, are you my mom?”

Iwaizumi kicks Oikawa lightly, barely maintaining balance himself. Oikawa squeals incomprehensibly while attempting to recover. “I’m just trying not to have a foreign country out for my blood because their idiot setter took himself out of commission while I was supposed to be babysitting him,” Iwaizumi scowls.

He's also slightly comforted by the fact that Oikawa, in spite of all his airheaded claims, is not in fact the childhood genius figure skater he made himself out to be. 

Struggling together was an unplanned bonus, but Iwaizumi thinks everything will be worth it if he can pull off his half-baked surprise. The ice rink they’re at, at Irvine Spectrum, is an outdoor facility, complete with some pretty sick fairy lights, which come on at sunset and stay on through the evening. All Iwaizumi has to do is time his distraction to match the lights and surprise him with a sight he’s never seen before. The problem remaining: said distraction. Iwaizumi has no idea what he's going to do. 

It shouldn't be too hard with how easily occupied Oikawa can be off-court. He's almost oblivious to the other, admittedly better, skaters on the ice with them. Maybe Iwaizumi should actually shepherd him over to hold onto the barrier before he actually hurts his hands. Iwaizumi was joking earlier, but he really doesn't want to be held responsible for any injuries that, G*d forbid, might befall Oikawa because of Iwaizumi’s underestimation of his own stupidity.

Lost in thought, Iwaizumi somehow gets to thinking about holding Oikawa’s hand. Just, grabbing it, and keeping it in one of his own, and not letting go. They forgot to bring gloves and it’s starting to get kind of chilly, so it wouldn’t be weird, right? Iwaizumi wonders how Oikawa would react. 

He checks the time on his phone. 16:56. Sunset is just after 17:00 tonight, so Iwaizumi had better haul ass with his shitty plan. He herds Oikawa to center ice.

“Close your eyes.”

“Iwa-chan, you sly dog, what wool are you trying to pull over my eyes?” 

Shit, has Oikawa figured him out? “Shut your eyes before I do it for you, Shittykawa. And shut your mouth too.”

“Mean, Iwa-chan, mean!”

Oikawa glances questioningly at him, as though he’s finally noticed that something on Iwaizumi’s phone is causing him to lose his cool, but Iwaizumi is desperate to keep the surprise, well, a surprise.

Iwaizumi checks the time again. 16:59. He’d better figure out something fast. 

His body moves before either of them realizes. Leaning in to distract Oikawa with a chaste brush of their lips, Iwaizumi reaches one hand up to cover Oikawa’s eyes while he takes Oikawa’s hand in the other. 

Oikawa flails wildly, with all the grace of a newborn fawn. 

Luckily, Iwaizumi (biceps and all) is ready for it, even with both their eyes closed. He easily receives Oikawa’s weight and sends it right back to him through their connected hands, keeping him upright as he reluctantly pulls away from Oikawa’s soft lips. 

“Iwa-chan...” Oikawa breathes out.

Another surprise, Iwaizumi supposes. He lets himself grin at his own good luck today, which only widens as the lights flicker on. 

Iwaizumi moves the hand blocking Oikawa’s vision, accidentally brushing his stupidly long eyelashes in the process. 

It’s definitely all worth it. Oikawa is wide-eyed and slack-jawed in awe at the stark beauty and resplendent glow of their surroundings in the twilight as he takes it all in. 

With Oikawa mesmerized by the sight of the twinkling lights, Iwaizumi is also free to lose himself in the honeyed notes and golden flecks reflected in Oikawa’s eyes. 

They amble around the rink, still holding hands. Iwaizumi is less and less about subtle sneaking glances over to watch Oikawa. Oikawa catches him and matches his gaze. 

This time, Oikawa is complemented by the lavender and indigo hues of the evening sky and the thousands of lights brightening up the space. Iwaizumi is so taken he doesn't even remember to breathe. 

The moment is broken by some annoying little kid about Takeru’s age who speeds by and clips Oikawa’s skate. 

Neither Iwaizumi nor his biceps are ready. Oikawa's hand slips right through Iwaizumi’s, and he lands squarely on his ass with a dull thud, wind completely knocked out of his lungs. 

Iwaizumi can't hold back a quiet chuckle as Oikawa gives up and lets the rest of his body follow to lie spread-eagled on the ice, massive diva that he is. He closes his eyes in a weak attempt to avoid the shame that overtakes him, and also probably to hide the small tears that may have welled up in his eyes, because ow. 

Oikawa opens his eyes to Iwaizumi standing over him, trying and failing to mask his simultaneous concern and amusement, backlit by the lights he’d found so pretty only moments ago. Betrayed, Oikawa doesn’t even try to get up on his own until Iwaizumi extends a hand to haul him up off the ice. 

***

After dealing with Oikawa's complaining for the remainder of their ice time, Iwaizumi decides to phone a friend. Better safe than sorry, after all. 

Much to Oikawa's distaste, it's Ushiwaka’s contact that Iwaizumi has pulled up from his recents in LINE. 

Ushijima's dad kindly assesses Oikawa after-hours, just in case, and recommends mild PT. 

Iwaizumi is a brutal physical therapist.

**Author's Note:**

> Alternatively titled: Falling With Style
> 
> I (clearly) had too much fun writing this. Irvine Spectrum to me is what Tokyo Skytree is to Tanaka and Nishinoya;;; except I still have yet to go to Irvine. But at least I’ve seen pics because The Internet and the lights indeed are a sight to behold 🤩🤩 
> 
> Anyways I hope you enjoyed this sappy, fluffy mess. Apparently I will never escape sports anime crossovers/references (ten points to your house of choice if you noticed 🙃🙃）
> 
> Lowk I *struggled* with writing one of my utmost ideal ships for literal weeks I hope y'all enjoy.  
> Also, disclaimers:
> 
> \- timeskip haikyuu happened just as Yuzu’s career was taking off and there was no TikTok then but the actual Elladj Baldé tiktok took off v v v recently soooooo.... gratuitous anachronous and artistic liberties taken :))  
> \- it has been so long since I've struggled with ice skating and actually eaten shit please excuse unrealistic depictions of skating. the one thing i will say is that i have actually kept people from falling before and the redirection of energy is exactly what you have to do for it- easy vball analogy :”)


End file.
